N.J. Officials Slam Return of ‘R-Word’ After Rogan, Musk, Kid Rock Mentions
New Jersey disability-services leaders are warning that the renewed public use of the “R-word” slur is fuelling stigma and spreading fast when amplified by major platforms. In a new guest column, state officials argued the term’s return in entertainment and online culture is not “edgy,” but harmful to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
In the column, NJ.com reported that Dr. Stephen Cha and Ms. Kaylee McGuire pointed to high-profile examples, including Joe Rogan using the slur early in an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Elon Musk sharing the term on X, and Kid Rock using it on television. The authors also cited findings by researchers at Montclair State University that use of the slur on X increased by 207.5% after Musk posted it.
Dr. Cha and Ms. McGuire wrote that language “is never neutral,” arguing that word choices can shape public attitudes about who belongs and who does not. They also emphasised that New Jersey moved in 2010 to remove the term from state statutes and regulations, replacing it with person-first language as part of a broader push to modernise public policy language.
The officials said they see firsthand how stigma can block opportunity and well-being for people with disabilities, and they warned that normalising slurs can reinforce stereotypes across schools, workplaces, health care settings and communities. They called on public figures and media voices to recognise the impact of their language and to reject slurs rather than treat them as provocation or entertainment.
The column arrives as cultural fights over speech continue to flare online, with Musk frequently in the centre of controversies about platform behaviour and messaging, including when he was accused of misrepresenting Rage Against the Machine in a separate dispute covered by Alternative Nation.
For New Jersey officials, the message is straightforward: progress on inclusion does not maintain itself, and the language used by influential entertainers and tech leaders can quickly undo the work of advocates and lawmakers who pushed to retire harmful terminology.
